{"id":61320,"date":"2018-07-09T17:44:07","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T14:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wall\/wall-1058\/"},"modified":"2023-03-17T14:10:59","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T12:10:59","slug":"wall-1058","status":"publish","type":"wall","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wall\/wall-1058\/","title":{"rendered":"weekend-from-20230312-to-20230318"},"parent":0,"template":"","acf":{"type":"weekend","wall_id":"1058","date_from":"20230312","date_to":"20230318","book":"I Kings","books_group":"Prophets","posts":[{"order":1,"id":"43599","color":"#effaea","size":"1","name":"Moses' Tabernacle and Noah's Ark: Vessels to Carry Us Across\u2026. ","post_title":"Moses' Tabernacle and Noah's Ark: Vessels to Carry Us Across\u2026.","slug":"moses-tabernacle-and-noahs-ark-vessels-to-carry-us-across","old_id":"43599","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":43569,"post_title":"Annabel Herzog","slug":"annabel-herzog","old_id":"43569","first_name":"Annabel ","last_name":"Herzog ","description":"Annabel Herzog is a professor of political philosophy at the School of Political Science at the University of Haifa. \r\nHer research focuses on the work of 20th-century philosophers, such as Hannah Arendt, Emmanuel Levinas, Albert Camus and Jacques Derrida. Current projects include a book on Levinas\u2019s Talmudic Readings, and a series of articles on utopias and dystopias.","short_description":"Annabel Herzog is a professor of political philosophy at the School of Political Science at the University of Haifa. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":43571,"alt":"","title":"annabel herzog","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/annabel-herzog-e1541582558171.png","width":235,"height":223,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/annabel-herzog-e1541582558171-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/annabel-herzog-300x192.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":192,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/annabel-herzog-e1541582558171.png","medium_large-width":235,"medium_large-height":223,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/annabel-herzog-e1541582558171.png","large-width":235,"large-height":223,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/annabel-herzog-e1541582558171.png","1536x1536-width":235,"1536x1536-height":223,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/annabel-herzog-e1541582558171.png","2048x2048-width":235,"2048x2048-height":223,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/annabel-herzog-e1541582558171.png","post_full_size-width":235,"post_full_size-height":223,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/annabel-herzog-e1541582558171.png","home_baner-width":235,"home_baner-height":223}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"85","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"One transporting a refugee family from lawlessness to renewal, the other a refugee people from slavery to freedom","post_main_content_content":"

While there is a very important ark in these chapters of Exodus \u2013 the Ark of the Covenant, \"aron habrit<\/em>\" \u2013 I want to compare the Tabernacle to a different ark, this time a \"tevah<\/em>,\" \"tevat Noach<\/em>,\" Noah's Ark.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Both Noah's Ark and the Tabernacle were commanded by God. The grammar is similar. In Gen. 6:14, God says to Noah \"ase lekha teva<\/em>\", \"make yourself an ark,\" whereas God commands Moses (Ex. 25:8) \"veasu li mishkan<\/em>\", \"make a tabernacle for Me.\" The difference here reflects the fact that the Ark was for the dwelling and survival of human life; the Tabernacle, for the dwelling of the Immortal.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Both were travelling vessels \u2013crossing dryness (the desert) or absolute waters (the Flood). Both end up on a mountain - the portable desert place of worship ends up at Shilo and then, in a way, on Mount Moriah as Solomon\u2019s Temple; the Ark ends up on Mount Ararat.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Other dimensions of the Tabernacle are revealed when we contrast it with another \"construction,\" the Golden Calf of a few chapters ago. Both Tabernacle and calf are built with the gold taken from Egypt and with similar purposes: worship. Both represent an attempt at materializing the relationship to God. However, the golden calf means idolatry and has to be destroyed, while the Tabernacle makes room for (the real) God to be present. Here too the grammar is indicative. In Ex. 32:1, the people say to Aaron \"ase lanu Elohim<\/em>,\" \"make a God for us,\" for our needs and desires.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The calf reflects the people\u2019s desire and impatience, the people\u2019s need of a concrete and secure leadership. It is a representation of the people\u2019s mentality, their spirit.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Both the Ark and the Tabernacle are the expression of God\u2019s will, not of the people\u2019s will, and both <\/span>move<\/span><\/em>. In contrast to the stationary calf they are dynamic, they move forward. Both are <\/span>vessels: they travel on a way toward something<\/span><\/em>. They are not representations or celebrations of the people\u2019s current situation. Both the Ark and the Tabernacle are a means, not an end; they represent a striving, an aspiration for the future. They are the vehicles that transport a refugee people from lawlessness to renewal on a new earth, or from slavery to freedom in a new land.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":101960,"alt":"","title":"-6208f7d851753--6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg.jpg","width":1920,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg-300x200.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":200,"medium_large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg-1024x683.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":683,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1280,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg-1200x800.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":800,"home_baner":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg-630x420.jpg","home_baner-width":630,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Moses' Tabernacle and Noah's Ark: Vessels to Carry Us Across\u2026.","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"One transporting a refugee family from lawlessness to renewal, the other a refugee people from slavery to freedom","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":101960,"alt":"","title":"-6208f7d851753--6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg.jpg","width":1920,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg-300x200.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":200,"medium_large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg-1024x683.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":683,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1280,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg-1200x800.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":800,"home_baner":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/07\/6208f7d851753-6208f7d851754gen7-noahs-ark.jpg-630x420.jpg","home_baner-width":630,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"35","chapter_main_number":"85","date":"20251225","wall_id":"85"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"668","name":"Tabernacle","old_id":"1068"},{"term_id":"670","name":"Ark","old_id":"1070"},{"term_id":"703","name":"Noah","old_id":"1103"}]},{"order":2,"id":"43646","color":"#effaea","size":"1","name":"Sourcing The Wood For The Tabernacle ","post_title":"Sourcing The Wood For The Tabernacle","slug":"sourcing-the-wood-for-the-tabernacle","old_id":"43646","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34235,"post_title":"Marc Gitler","slug":"marc-gitler","old_id":"34235","first_name":"Marc","last_name":"Gitler","description":"Rabbi Marc Gitler, a recipient of the Wexner Fellowship, was ordained at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, and earned an MPA from NYU . The founder of Fast for Feast, he lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife Sarah and their four children. He used to work for 929 North America.\r\n","short_description":"Rabbi Marc Gitler, founder of Fast for Feast, lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife Sarah and their four children. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34236,"alt":"","title":"Marc Gitler","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler.jpg","width":407,"height":407,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler.jpg","medium_large-width":407,"medium_large-height":407,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler.jpg","large-width":407,"large-height":407,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler.jpg","1536x1536-width":407,"1536x1536-height":407,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler.jpg","2048x2048-width":407,"2048x2048-height":407,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler.jpg","post_full_size-width":407,"post_full_size-height":407,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Marc-Gitler.jpg","home_baner-width":407,"home_baner-height":407}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"86","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Our sanctuaries, like the Tabernacle, must remain true to the open tent of Abraham","post_main_content_content":"

Gold, silver, fine garments and jewels were certainly necessary to beautify the mishkan. But to build the structure there was of course a need for wood. Where did the Israelites find long beams of wood in the desert? \u00a0The midrash asserts that the beams of wood, and specifically the bariach hatichon<\/em>, the central bar, the sort of backbone of the mishkan, were planted generations earlier.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Nachman said: Jacob [stopped in Be\u2019er Sheva on his way down to Egypt] to chop down the trees that his grandfather Abraham had planted there.
\r\nOn his deathbed, a second midrash asserts: Jacob was saturated with prophecy \u201cand said to his sons: in the future God\u2019s presence will dwell in your midst, and he told them about [the wood necessary] for the central bar.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

The midrash is not just attempting to source the wood in a location where such wood was unavailable, but more significantly to teach that the tabernacle, and our temples as well, must be built upon the foundations of our ancestors. Everything had changed from the time that Jacob\u2019s family of seventy descended to Egypt, but the central pillar of the mishkan, representing the core of who we are as a people, must remain true to the open tent of Abraham. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

God\u2019s presence in our midst only occurs when it is rooted in welcoming strangers into our tents. Many generations later Isaiah envisioned the full messianic redemption and described God\u2019s temple as \u201ca house of prayer for all peoples,\u201d a vision certainly rooted in the wood and welcoming spirit of Abraham.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

cover illustration by: Crystal Eye Studio\/Shutterstock<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":43647,"alt":"","title":"shutterstock_472880980","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980.jpg","width":5636,"height":3978,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980-300x212.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":212,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980-768x542.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":542,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980-1024x723.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":723,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1084,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1446,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980-1200x847.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":847,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980-595x420.jpg","home_baner-width":595,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Sourcing the Wood for the Tabernacle","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Our sanctuaries, like the Tabernacle, must remain true to the open tent of Abraham","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":43647,"alt":"","title":"shutterstock_472880980","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980.jpg","width":5636,"height":3978,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980-300x212.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":212,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980-768x542.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":542,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980-1024x723.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":723,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1084,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1446,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980-1200x847.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":847,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_472880980-595x420.jpg","home_baner-width":595,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"36","chapter_main_number":"86","date":"20251228","wall_id":"86"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"363","name":"Midrash","old_id":"763"},{"term_id":"418","name":"Abraham","old_id":"818"},{"term_id":"718","name":"Hospitality","old_id":"1118"}]},{"order":3,"id":"43755","color":"#effaea","size":"1","name":"Tabernacle ","post_title":"Tabernacle","slug":"tabernacle","old_id":"43755","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":43742,"post_title":"Robert Kirschbaum","slug":"robert-kirschbaum","old_id":"43742","first_name":"Robert ","last_name":"Kirschbaum ","description":"Robert Kirschbaum received his MFA from Yale in 1974. In his art, he explores Judaic concepts of sacred space derived from ancient Jewish art and the Kabbalah. He divides his time between New York City and Hartford, Connecticut, where he is currently Professor of Fine Arts at Trinity College. ","short_description":"Robert Kirschbaum is Professor of Fine Arts at Trinity College. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":43743,"alt":"","title":"Robert Kirschbaum-head shot","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum-head-shot.jpg","width":366,"height":528,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum-head-shot-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum-head-shot-208x300.jpg","medium-width":208,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum-head-shot.jpg","medium_large-width":366,"medium_large-height":528,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum-head-shot.jpg","large-width":366,"large-height":528,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum-head-shot.jpg","1536x1536-width":366,"1536x1536-height":528,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum-head-shot.jpg","2048x2048-width":366,"2048x2048-height":528,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum-head-shot.jpg","post_full_size-width":366,"post_full_size-height":528,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum-head-shot-291x420.jpg","home_baner-width":291,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"87","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Textile panel inspired by sacred space","post_main_content_content":"","post_main_content_image":{"id":43756,"alt":"","title":"Robert Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37.jpg","width":803,"height":800,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37-768x765.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":765,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37.jpg","large-width":803,"large-height":800,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37.jpg","1536x1536-width":803,"1536x1536-height":800,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37.jpg","2048x2048-width":803,"2048x2048-height":800,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37.jpg","post_full_size-width":803,"post_full_size-height":800,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37-422x420.jpg","home_baner-width":422,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Tabernacle","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Textile panel inspired by sacred space","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":43756,"alt":"","title":"Robert Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37.jpg","width":803,"height":800,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37-768x765.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":765,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37.jpg","large-width":803,"large-height":800,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37.jpg","1536x1536-width":803,"1536x1536-height":800,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37.jpg","2048x2048-width":803,"2048x2048-height":800,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37.jpg","post_full_size-width":803,"post_full_size-height":800,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Robert-Kirschbaum_Shamiana-Ex37-422x420.jpg","home_baner-width":422,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"37","chapter_main_number":"87","date":"20251229","wall_id":"87"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"369","name":"Visual Arts","old_id":"769"}]},{"order":4,"id":"72063","color":"#effaea","size":"1","name":"Vayakhel: The Women's Mirrors ","post_title":"Vayakhel: The Women's Mirrors","slug":"vayakhel-the-womens-mirrors","old_id":"72063","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":46171,"post_title":"Avner Moriah","slug":"avner-moriah","old_id":"46171","first_name":"Avner ","last_name":"Moriah ","description":"Avner Moriah is a prolific Israel artist who has addressed a wide range of Jewish and Israeli themes during the four decades of his artistic journey. Currently, Avner is completing a singular artistic and spiritual feat of illuminating the entire Chumash. The unique illuminated books contain hundreds of original drawings that offer a profound, provocative and humorous perspective. \r\nFor the entire weekly portion series, visit: https:\/\/avnermoriahprints.com\/collections\/parasha\r\nFor more of his work visit: https:\/\/avnermoriah.com\/\r\n","short_description":"Avner Moriah is a prolific Israel artist who is illuminating the entire Chumash.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":46173,"alt":"","title":"avner moriah","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/avner-moriah-e1545511134679.jpg","width":1387,"height":1425,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/avner-moriah-e1545511134679-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/avner-moriah-e1545511134679-292x300.jpg","medium-width":292,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/avner-moriah-e1545511134679-768x789.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":789,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/avner-moriah-e1545511134679-997x1024.jpg","large-width":997,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/avner-moriah-e1545511134679.jpg","1536x1536-width":1387,"1536x1536-height":1425,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/avner-moriah-e1545511134679.jpg","2048x2048-width":1387,"2048x2048-height":1425,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/avner-moriah-e1545511134679-1168x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":1168,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/avner-moriah-e1545511134679-409x420.jpg","home_baner-width":409,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"1088","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"From vanity to atonement, repentance and purification\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

In the previous parasha<\/em> we learned about the enthusiasm with which the Israelites offered their gold jewelry to make the Golden Calf and the devastating results of that episode. Now Parashat Vayakhel<\/em> tells us of their generosity in connection with the building of the Tabernacle and its furnishings: \u201cMen and women all whose hearts moved them\u2026came bringing brooches, earrings, rings and pendants. Everyone who would make gifts of silver or copper brought them \u2026.\u201d (Exod. 35:22\u2013 24). The people brought these offerings of their own free will, and even gave more than was needed. We sense here that the Israelites wished to atone for their grievous sinning in connection with the Golden Calf.<\/p>\r\n

The text of this parasha<\/em> refers to the laver in only one verse: \u201cHe made the laver of copper and its stand of copper from the mirrors [mar\u2019ot<\/em>] of the women [ha\u2019tzov\u2019ot<\/em>] who performed tasks at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting\u201d (Exod. 38:8).<\/p>\r\n

Why does the text stress the fact that the copper for the laver was to be taken from the women\u2019s copper mirrors and not from other copper donated for the Tabernacle? Why did Moses choose to use mirrors, objects of feminine vanity, for making the vessel in which the priests would wash and purify?<\/p>\r\n

Avner Moriah\u2019s painting hints at the answers.<\/em> Of all of the Tabernacle\u2019s furnishings mentioned in this parasha<\/em>, he focuses on the laver, a sign of sanctity for the priests according to God\u2019s command previously: \u201cMake a laver of copper \u2026. And let Aaron and his sons wash their hands and feet there \u2026that they may not die\u201d (Exod. 30:18\u201319, 21).<\/p>\r\n

The group of women seen next to the laver facing the High Priest in both sections of the picture are in matching dresses, standing very closely together. On the right, each one is carrying a round copper-colored object, which suggests a mirror. As understood from the word ha\u2019tzov\u2019ot<\/em>, the verse refers to women assembling to serve at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Accepting their part in the Israelites\u2019 idolatry, which was punished by the death of so many of the people, the women, anxious to repent, were giving up their precious mirrors to make the laver for the priests\u2019 purification. Although it was not considered part of the Tabernacle furnishings, the laver was a very important part of the priestly ritual.<\/p>\r\n

In the image on the right, the women seem to be throwing their mirrors into a deep round vessel, under which we see a fire burning, so the copper will be melted down and then be used to form the laver. In the left-hand image, the High Priest is joyfully raising his arms, a sign of gratitude for the women\u2019s repentance and for their gifts, which will be used to shape the laver for the priests\u2019 ritual purification so that they will be able to obey God\u2019s command.<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":72071,"alt":"","title":"22 Va-yakhel","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel.jpg","width":2500,"height":1657,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel-300x199.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":199,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel-768x509.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":509,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel-1024x679.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":679,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1018,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1357,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel-1200x795.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":795,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel-634x420.jpg","home_baner-width":634,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"The Chapter Illustrated","tile_main_caption":"Vayakhel: The Women's Mirrors","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"From vanity to atonement, repentance and purification","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":72071,"alt":"","title":"22 Va-yakhel","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel.jpg","width":2500,"height":1657,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel-300x199.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":199,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel-768x509.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":509,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel-1024x679.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":679,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1018,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1357,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel-1200x795.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":795,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/22-Va-yakhel-634x420.jpg","home_baner-width":634,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"Jeremiah","chapter":false,"chapter_main_number":false,"date":false,"wall_id":"1088"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"368","name":"Parasha","old_id":"768"}]},{"order":5,"id":"43908","color":"#effaea","size":"1","name":"The Realizations Of Divine Plans ","post_title":"The Realizations Of Divine Plans","slug":"the-realizations-of-divine-plans","old_id":"43908","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":37918,"post_title":"Shai Held","slug":"shai-held","old_id":"37918","first_name":" Shai ","last_name":"Held","description":"Rabbi Shai Held, theologian, scholar, and educator, is President, Dean, and Chair in Jewish Thought at Hadar, where he also directs the Center for Jewish Leadership and Ideas. A 2011 recipient of the prestigious Covenant Award for excellence in Jewish education, Rabbi Held has been named multiple times to Newsweek\u2019s list of the 50 most influential rabbis in America. He holds a doctorate in religion from Harvard; Rabbi Held's first book, Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence, was published by Indiana University Press in 2013; The Heart of Torah, a collection of essays on the Torah in two volumes, was published by JPS in 2017.","short_description":"Rabbi Shai Held is President, Dean, and Chair in Jewish Thought at Hadar,","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":37919,"alt":"","title":"shai held","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/shai-held.jpg","width":150,"height":186,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/shai-held-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/shai-held.jpg","medium-width":150,"medium-height":186,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/shai-held.jpg","medium_large-width":150,"medium_large-height":186,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/shai-held.jpg","large-width":150,"large-height":186,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/shai-held.jpg","1536x1536-width":150,"1536x1536-height":186,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/shai-held.jpg","2048x2048-width":150,"2048x2048-height":186,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/shai-held.jpg","post_full_size-width":150,"post_full_size-height":186,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/shai-held.jpg","home_baner-width":150,"home_baner-height":186}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"89","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"I made you a place to live, now you make one for Me","post_main_content_content":"

After reporting on all that had been done in erecting the <\/span>mishkan<\/em> <\/span>(tabernacle), the Torah declares: \u201cAnd Moses saw (<\/span>vayar<\/span><\/em>) all the tasks (<\/span>kol ha-melakhah<\/span><\/em>), and behold (<\/span>ve-hinei<\/span><\/em>), they had done it (<\/span>asu<\/span><\/em>)\u2014as the Lord had commanded, so had they done\u2014and Moses blessed them\u201d (Exodus 39:43). To the attentive reader, the links to the creation story are unmistakable: \u201cAnd God saw (<\/span>vayar<\/span><\/em>) all (<\/span>kol<\/span><\/em>) that God had done (<\/span>asah<\/span><\/em>), and, behold, (<\/span>ve-hinei<\/span><\/em>) it was very good (Genesis 1:31). In the one case, God looks and sees, while in the other Moses does; in both cases, everything has been completed just as God wants. There seems to be a deep connection between God\u2019s creation of the world on the one hand, and the Israelites\u2019 construction of the <\/span>mishkan<\/em> <\/span>on the other. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

On one level, the implication of the coupling of the construction of the <\/span>mishkan<\/em> <\/span>and the creation of the world is that the <\/span>mishkan<\/em> <\/span>is intended to serve as a microcosm, a world in miniature. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

To understand what this means, we ought to consider one more literary link between the two stories: The final chapter of Exodus contains seven instances of the expression \u201cjust as the Lord had commanded Moses\u201d (Exodus 40:19,21,23,25,27,29,32), which serves a similar function to the sevenfold repetition of the phrase \u201cAnd God saw that is was good\u201d in Genesis (Genesis 1:4,10,12,18,21,25,31). Bible scholar Jon Levenson draws out the relationship between the two repeating formulas: \u201cThe theological substance of the two similar refrains is a pointed insistence upon the correspondence of the object constructed with the intentions of God. The [<\/span>mishkan<\/span><\/em>] and the world both result from the perfect realization of divine commandments, and nothing that God has commanded falls short of his expectations.\u201d The <\/span>mishkan<\/span><\/em>, like the world, is a perfect realization of God\u2019s plans.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Except that in reality\u2014and according to the Torah itself\u2014the world as we find it falls far short of God\u2019s hopes and expectations. In a world overrun by chaos, the <\/span>mishkan<\/span><\/em> is intended to serve as one place in which everything unfolds according to the divine plan\u2014\u201cjust as the Lord had commanded Moses.\u201d Amidst all the world\u2019s brokenness, then, there is to be one place, at least, in which God really is present. It is as if God says to Moses and the Israelites: I made you a place to live, now you make one for Me. <\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":43233,"alt":"","title":"Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels.jpg","width":672,"height":1049,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels-192x300.jpg","medium-width":192,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels-656x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":656,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels-656x1024.jpg","large-width":656,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels.jpg","1536x1536-width":672,"1536x1536-height":1049,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels.jpg","2048x2048-width":672,"2048x2048-height":1049,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels.jpg","post_full_size-width":672,"post_full_size-height":1049,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels-269x420.jpg","home_baner-width":269,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Connections: Tabernacle and Creation - III","tile_main_caption":"The Realizations of Divine Plans","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"I made you a place to live, now you make one for Me","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":43233,"alt":"","title":"Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels.jpg","width":672,"height":1049,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels-192x300.jpg","medium-width":192,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels-656x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":656,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels-656x1024.jpg","large-width":656,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels.jpg","1536x1536-width":672,"1536x1536-height":1049,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels.jpg","2048x2048-width":672,"2048x2048-height":1049,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels.jpg","post_full_size-width":672,"post_full_size-height":1049,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Ex31-The_Erection_of_the_Tabernacle_and_the_Sacred_Vessels-269x420.jpg","home_baner-width":269,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Exodus","chapter":"39","chapter_main_number":"89","date":"20251231","wall_id":"89"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"370","name":"Divine\/human","old_id":"770"},{"term_id":"558","name":"Creation","old_id":"958"}]},{"order":6,"id":"113508","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"The Women In The King\u2019s Bedchamber ","post_title":"The Women In The King\u2019s Bedchamber","slug":"the-women-in-the-kings-bedchamber","old_id":"113508","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":41916,"post_title":"Sandra E. Rapoport","slug":"sandra-e-rapoport","old_id":"41916","first_name":"Sandra E. ","last_name":"Rapoport ","description":"Sandra E. Rapoport is an attorney, Bible teacher, and award-winning author whose books give voice to the women of the Bible. Her third book, Biblical Seductions, was a National Jewish Book Awards Finalist and a Boston Globe Top-Ten Bestseller. Her fourth and most recent book, The Queen & The Spymaster, is a novel based on the story of Esther.","short_description":"Sandra E. Rapoport is an attorney, Bible teacher, and award-winning author of four books on Bible and Midrash.\r\n\r\n","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":41917,"alt":"","title":"sandra rapoport","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sandra-rapoport.jpg","width":150,"height":175,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sandra-rapoport-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sandra-rapoport.jpg","medium-width":150,"medium-height":175,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sandra-rapoport.jpg","medium_large-width":150,"medium_large-height":175,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sandra-rapoport.jpg","large-width":150,"large-height":175,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sandra-rapoport.jpg","1536x1536-width":150,"1536x1536-height":175,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sandra-rapoport.jpg","2048x2048-width":150,"2048x2048-height":175,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sandra-rapoport.jpg","post_full_size-width":150,"post_full_size-height":175,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/sandra-rapoport.jpg","home_baner-width":150,"home_baner-height":175}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"288","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Abishag recalls Esther, but it is Bathsheba who influences the King\u2019s fateful decisions\u00a0\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

We recently celebrated the holiday of Purim, where Megillat Esther, the script for that holiday, famously features a mighty, virile king, and courtiers who advise a nationwide search for beautiful virgins to vie for the position of queen. Eventually, Esther the Jewess, as queen, is able to maneuver events from inside the palace to save her people from a genocide.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In parallel terms, the Tanach in 1 Kings 1:2-4 presents an aged and cold, once-mighty King David, and royal advisors who, likewise, counsel a kingdom-wide search for beautiful virgins, seeking the choicest girl to warm the king in his bed. The search turns up Abishag the Shunammite.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Even some of the language in 1 Kings 1 echoes the Megillah: the words \"<\/span>na'arah<\/span><\/em>\" and \u201c<\/span>betulah<\/span><\/em>\u201d for young virgin, repeatedly describe both Esther and Abishag. Also, describing the chosen girl's beauty, Abishag is referred to as \"<\/em><\/span>yafah ad me'od<\/span><\/em>,\" <\/em>\u201cexceedingly lovely.\u201d Similarly, Esther is exceedingly beautiful, the Megillah using the rare description that she is beautiful both of face and figure (Esther.2:7). Also, the text says that Abishag \"was found and brought\" before King David, and similarly, that Esther \"was taken\" to the palace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The common event of a \u201cnationwide\u201d search for beautiful virgins in both Esther and 1 Kings is a tool that brings palace and political news to the far-flung public. In Esther, the nationwide search publicized that the king was back in control of the domestic side of his kingship after the Vashti humiliation, finally ready to choose a bride and crown her queen. In our chapter, King David\u2019s courtiers, supporters of David\u2019s usurping son Adonijah, deliberately suggest the nationwide search for a virgin as \u201ca publicity technique\u201d (Alex Israel, \u201cI Kings: Torn in Two,\u201d p.17), a shortcut way to let \u201call of Israel\u201d know that their king is old and cold, a step from the grave. It will be a cakewalk, they think, to slide the dashing Adonijah onto the throne.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

One prime difference in the two stories is that Abishag is not brought to King David in order to be queen. While it is likely she is David's de facto concubine (hence Solomon's violent reaction when his usurping brother Adonijah seeks to wed her in 1 Kings 2:22-25), her purpose is to warm the king and invigorate him, not to rule. And importantly, Abishag is not a hero of this story.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Why, then, the strong suggestive parallels with Esther?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The urgent issue in this story in Kings is succession. Which son will succeed David? Will the new Israelite monarchy implode or endure? The silent Abishag will be a prop, not a player.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

It is Bathsheba, David's wife and mother of Solomon\u2014and, importantly, at one time an \"Abishag\" herself, \u201ctaken\u201d by King David in 2 Sam.11:4\u2014who is the hero here. She steps in, Esther-like, and, at Nathan's instigation, eloquently maneuvers events so Solomon is chosen by King David to be his undisputed successor.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":60357,"alt":"","title":"2sam12-bathsheba","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba.jpg","width":649,"height":406,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba-300x188.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":188,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba.jpg","medium_large-width":649,"medium_large-height":406,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba.jpg","large-width":649,"large-height":406,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba.jpg","1536x1536-width":649,"1536x1536-height":406,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba.jpg","2048x2048-width":649,"2048x2048-height":406,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba.jpg","post_full_size-width":649,"post_full_size-height":406,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba.jpg","home_baner-width":649,"home_baner-height":406}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"The Women In The King\u2019s Bedchamber","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Abishag recalls Esther, but it is Bathsheba who influences the King\u2019s fateful decisions\u00a0","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":60357,"alt":"","title":"2sam12-bathsheba","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba.jpg","width":649,"height":406,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba-300x188.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":188,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba.jpg","medium_large-width":649,"medium_large-height":406,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba.jpg","large-width":649,"large-height":406,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba.jpg","1536x1536-width":649,"1536x1536-height":406,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba.jpg","2048x2048-width":649,"2048x2048-height":406,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba.jpg","post_full_size-width":649,"post_full_size-height":406,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2sam12-bathsheba.jpg","home_baner-width":649,"home_baner-height":406}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"1","chapter_main_number":"288","date":"20261006","wall_id":"288"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"517","name":"Esther","old_id":"917"},{"term_id":"834","name":"David","old_id":"1234"},{"term_id":"911","name":"Bathsheba","old_id":"1311"}]},{"order":7,"id":"61453","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Everything You Need to Know About the Jewish People \u2013 in One Chapter ","post_title":"Everything You Need to Know About the Jewish People \u2013 in One Chapter","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-jewish-people-in-one-chapter","old_id":"61453","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33992,"post_title":"Bradley Shavit Artson","slug":"rabbi-dr-bradley-shavit-artson","old_id":"33992","first_name":"Bradley Shavit ","last_name":"Artson","description":"Rabbi Dr Bradley Shavit Artson holds the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean's Chair of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and is Vice President of American Jewish University in Los Angeles, and is professor of philosophy there. Artson is married to Elana Shavit Artson, and they are the parents of twins, Shira and Jacob.\r\n","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"short_description":"Rabbi Dr Bradley Shavit Artson is the Dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and is Vice President of American Jewish University in Los Angeles.","link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":33993,"alt":"","title":"Rabbi Dr Bradley Shavit Artson","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","width":204,"height":199,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-256x300.png","medium-width":256,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","medium_large-width":204,"medium_large-height":199,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","large-width":204,"large-height":199,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","1536x1536-width":204,"1536x1536-height":199,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","2048x2048-width":204,"2048x2048-height":199,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","post_full_size-width":204,"post_full_size-height":199,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rabbi-Dr-Bradley-Shavit-Artson-e1532029361140.png","home_baner-width":204,"home_baner-height":199}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"288","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"By the end of the book, because of our incompetence, betrayal, disloyalty and venality, we will lose it all. Or almost...","post_main_content_content":"

It\u2019s all right here in the first chapter of the First Book of Kings. Attempts at dynastic control from one generation seeking to manage the future. Contentious claimants to the same throne. Powerless women scheming as the only available mode of influence in a patriarchal system. Prophets weighing in on how awful people are behaving. Siblings competing for fame and power. Priests divided and supporting competing nobility. And in all this chaos, competition, ego and bloodshed, somehow the covenant between God and the people Israel kicked from side to side, bruised yet managing to survive.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Spoiler alert: by the end of this book, the ongoing series of incompetence, betrayal, disloyalty and venality will break the monarchy entirely. Our claim on the land of Israel, our hold on a Holy Temple capable of uniting the people in the service of the one God, the monarchy itself will smash apart on the rocks of our own lack of vision and decency.\u00a0 We will lose it all.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Or, almost all. We won\u2019t lose the one God who called us as a people, nor will we lose that covenant. Instead, we will discover that both God and Torah are portable and will go with us wherever we wander in the world. We will discover that there are ways to keep alive our ancient sacred tradition, so that it can provide comfort and resilience, even by the waters of Babylon. And we\u2019ll discover (and forget, and discover, and forget) that the trappings of statehood and power are at best ancillary to our true vitality. The real source of Israel\u2019s vibrant resilience remains our reciprocal love affair with the Holy One, our distinctive fusion of ritual and ethics that emerges as ethical monotheism, and the ongoing expression of that heritage in a people of flesh and blood.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

All that can be found in this very first chapter: David\u2019s sons battle it out for the throne while the poor man is still alive. His wife and prophet both intervene with him to get him to act, and factions of priests and nobility wrap themselves around the prince they think most likely to succeed. The monarchy\u2019s hold on the people is less than solid. The hold on the sublime morality promised by Torah even less so.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

And yet \u2026 survive it does. Imperfect though we may be, the people Israel continues to keep that covenant alive, transmits it to the next generation, learns from the mistakes it keeps making, and somehow inspires the next generation not to abandon the effort.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

That\u2019s it. And that may be as good as it gets in this world. Imperfect people, imperfectly struggling to live up to God\u2019s expectations and our own.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Turns out, that may also be as good as it needs to be.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61454,"alt":"","title":"1kings1-StarofDavidBroken","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","width":320,"height":310,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken-300x291.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":291,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","medium_large-width":320,"medium_large-height":310,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","large-width":320,"large-height":310,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","1536x1536-width":320,"1536x1536-height":310,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","2048x2048-width":320,"2048x2048-height":310,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","post_full_size-width":320,"post_full_size-height":310,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","home_baner-width":320,"home_baner-height":310}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Everything You Need to Know About the Jewish People \u2013 in One Chapter","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"By the end of the book, because of our incompetence, betrayal, disloyalty and venality, we will lose it all. Or almost...","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":61454,"alt":"","title":"1kings1-StarofDavidBroken","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","width":320,"height":310,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken-300x291.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":291,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","medium_large-width":320,"medium_large-height":310,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","large-width":320,"large-height":310,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","1536x1536-width":320,"1536x1536-height":310,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","2048x2048-width":320,"2048x2048-height":310,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","post_full_size-width":320,"post_full_size-height":310,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-StarofDavidBroken.jpg","home_baner-width":320,"home_baner-height":310}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"1","chapter_main_number":"288","date":"20261006","wall_id":"288"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"395","name":"Covenant","old_id":"795"},{"term_id":"434","name":"War","old_id":"834"},{"term_id":"444","name":"History","old_id":"844"}]},{"order":8,"id":"61608","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Aging Is A State Of Mind ","post_title":"Aging Is A State Of Mind","slug":"aging-is-a-state-of-mind","old_id":"61608","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":58418,"post_title":"Naomi (Jaffe) Eini","slug":"naomi-jaffe-eini","old_id":"58418","first_name":"Naomi (Jaffe)","last_name":"Eini","description":"Naomi (Jaffe) Eini is an educational psychologist, lecturer and workshop facilitator, and author of the book, \"Journey To The Real World\" (Hebrew). She is a graduate of Mandel School For Educational Leadership, works at Midreshet Lindenbaum, and is writing a doctorate in psychology at Bar Ilan University.","short_description":"Naomi (Jaffe) Eini is an educational psychologist, lecturer and workshop facilitator, and doctoral candidate in psychology.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":58420,"alt":"","title":"naomi eini","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/naomi-eini.jpg","width":960,"height":1135,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/naomi-eini-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/naomi-eini-254x300.jpg","medium-width":254,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/naomi-eini-768x908.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":908,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/naomi-eini-866x1024.jpg","large-width":866,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/naomi-eini.jpg","1536x1536-width":960,"1536x1536-height":1135,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/naomi-eini.jpg","2048x2048-width":960,"2048x2048-height":1135,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/naomi-eini.jpg","post_full_size-width":960,"post_full_size-height":1135,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/naomi-eini-355x420.jpg","home_baner-width":355,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"288","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"As is our attitude to the aged. Let us include and not exclude","post_main_content_content":"

We read today's chapter as the <\/span>haftarah<\/span><\/em> (additional reading for Sabbaths and festivals)<\/span> of the weekly portion of Hayyei Sara. The two present two pictures of aging \u2013 of Abraham and David.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

We All Age Differently<\/span><\/em><\/p>\r\n

In Hayyei Sara, Abraham's aging is perfect. He is old and blessed \"and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things\" (Gen.24:1)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In contrast, King David becomes weak as he ages: \"King David was now old, advanced in years; and though they covered him with bedclothes, he never felt warm\" (I Kings 1:1).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

We are told that \"the king was very old\" (v.15), but in reality, he was nearing 70, half the age of Abraham, who was 140 years old when he was described as \"old, advanced in years\" (Gen.24:1).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Moment We Become Old<\/span><\/em><\/p>\r\n

For me, the defining moment of the onset of old age is when younger people exchange glances over an elderly person's head as they grasp the finer details of a situation, while the elderly person does not. My heart goes out to the elderly person.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Today\u2019s chapter describes how the prophet Nathan and Bathsheba intervene. I feel sorry for the King who has become old in the eyes of those close to him.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

David requests of God: \"Do not cast me off in old age; when my strength fails, do not forsake me\" (Ps.71:9). He begs Him: My God and the God of my fathers, when I grow old, do not relate to me as human beings do. Ignore my frail body, my poor eyesight and my failing memory. Look at my vibrant soul and help me not to feel rejected or deserted.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I learnt a great lesson in aging from my deceased father and mentor, Professor Eliezer Jaffe z\"l: To be old is not just a question of chronological age, but also \u2013 and perhaps mainly \u2013 a question of one's approach to life. We feel old if we focus on the difficulties in life, on past mistakes and on our physical aches and pains. To a certain extent, we decide when to become old and how to live our lives.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Inclusion not Exclusion<\/span><\/em><\/p>\r\n

Recently, I attended a wedding in which the mother of the bride brought her elderly, wheelchair-bound mother into the middle of the circle and danced in front her with so much joy, reminding me of David who danced before the Holy Ark. The bride joined in, showering her grandmother with love and respect.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

We should not follow Bathsheba and Nathan's example and treat individuals or sectors of the population as if they are elderly and exclude them from daily life.\u00a0 Whether it be a new immigrant, our parents, the elderly, people with special needs \u2013 let us <\/span>include not exclude<\/em> them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Translated by: Chava Wilschanski\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61629,"alt":"","title":"1kings1-aging","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging.jpg","width":1920,"height":1439,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging-300x225.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":225,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging-768x576.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":576,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging-1024x767.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":767,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1151,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1439,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging-1200x899.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":899,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging-560x420.jpg","home_baner-width":560,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Aging Is A State Of Mind","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"As is our attitude to the aged. Let us include and not exclude","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":61629,"alt":"","title":"1kings1-aging","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging.jpg","width":1920,"height":1439,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging-300x225.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":225,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging-768x576.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":576,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging-1024x767.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":767,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1151,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1439,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging-1200x899.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":899,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings1-aging-560x420.jpg","home_baner-width":560,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"1","chapter_main_number":"288","date":"20261006","wall_id":"288"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"419","name":"Elderly\/Aging","old_id":"819"},{"term_id":"712","name":"Inclusion","old_id":"1112"}]},{"order":9,"id":"61456","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"A Look Ahead At What\u2019s In Store ","post_title":"A Look Ahead At What\u2019s In Store","slug":"a-look-ahead-at-whats-in-store","old_id":"61456","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34243,"post_title":"Moshe Sokolow","slug":"moshe-sokolow","old_id":"34243","first_name":"Moshe","last_name":"Sokolow","description":"Dr. Moshe Sokolow is Associate Dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University, and teaches a weekly class in parashat hashavu`a at Lincoln Square Synagogue. He is the author of TANAKH: An Owner\u2019s Manual (Jerusalem: Urim\/Ktav, 2015).\r\n\r\n","short_description":"Dr. Moshe Sokolow is Associate Dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Yeshiva University","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34244,"alt":"","title":"sokolow","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","width":302,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow-300x298.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":298,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","medium_large-width":302,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","large-width":302,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","1536x1536-width":302,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","2048x2048-width":302,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","post_full_size-width":302,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/sokolow.jpg","home_baner-width":302,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"288","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"The seeds of dissolution are already planted","post_main_content_content":"

The Book of Samuel (its Jewish name\u2014the division in two being of Christian origin) gave us insight into the introduction to the idea of monarchy, which was sought, initially (harken back to 1 Samuel 8), as an antidote to the weakness of tribal leadership that characterized the earlier era of the Book of Judges. Now, with our entry into the Book of Kings, we will witness how that institution fared after the death of its dynastic founder, David, until its discontinuation at the time of the destruction of the Temple of Solomon by the Babylonians in 586 BCE\u2014an era of over 400 years.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

A<\/span>\u00a0word of caution to the reader: At some point in the first half of the Book of Kings, the kingdom will split in two and the title \u201cKing of Israel\u201d will no longer identify a member of the Davidic dynasty\u2014who will henceforth be called the King of Judah (including also Benjamin)\u2014but any of a series of rulers who will command a breakaway kingdom comprised of the other ten tribes.<\/p>\r\n

The scene for the eventual dissolution of David\u2019s kingdom is actually set in the first chapter, as he is shown to be enfeebled by advancing age to such an extent that he failed to recognize an incipient plot to usurp the throne. The erstwhile usurper was Adonijah ben Hagit \u201cwho was born after Absalom\u201d (6), a neat double-entendre, as he followed him in the birth line (see 2 Samuel 3:3-4) as well as in his opposition to their father\u2019s will. As if that were not enough of a coincidence, we are further notified that they also shared the quality of handsomeness and that David had a soft spot for him, too, and was unable to remonstrate with him over his behavior (6).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

On this occasion, however, there are other forces at work in the palace and sides are quickly drawn up: Joab (military) and Abiathar (priesthood) side with Adonijah, while, correspondingly, Zadok (priesthood) and Benayahu (military) side with\u2026? As of yet, they have no side to take, so all we can be told is that \u201cthey did not side with Adonijah\u201d (8). To redress that situation, Nathan the Prophet (prominent in 2 Samuel 7) colluded with Bathsheba to successfully insure that David\u2019s choice of Solomon as his successor would be preserved.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

A literary note: Word of Solomon\u2019s succession was brought to Adonijah by Jonathan ben Abiathar who was welcomed as \u201ca messenger of good news\u201d (42). This is the very same Jonathan who carried intelligence to David about Absalom (2 Samuel 17), supporting our earlier observation about the reprise of Absalom\u2019s rebellion in Adonijah\u2019s usurpation. It also illustrates the fickleness of loyalties when they are put to the test.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61457,"alt":"","title":"1kings-split tree","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree.jpg","width":616,"height":382,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree-300x186.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":186,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree.jpg","medium_large-width":616,"medium_large-height":382,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree.jpg","large-width":616,"large-height":382,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree.jpg","1536x1536-width":616,"1536x1536-height":382,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree.jpg","2048x2048-width":616,"2048x2048-height":382,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree.jpg","post_full_size-width":616,"post_full_size-height":382,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree.jpg","home_baner-width":616,"home_baner-height":382}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"A Look Ahead At What\u2019s In Store","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"The seeds of dissolution are already planted","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":61457,"alt":"","title":"1kings-split tree","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree.jpg","width":616,"height":382,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree-300x186.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":186,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree.jpg","medium_large-width":616,"medium_large-height":382,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree.jpg","large-width":616,"large-height":382,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree.jpg","1536x1536-width":616,"1536x1536-height":382,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree.jpg","2048x2048-width":616,"2048x2048-height":382,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree.jpg","post_full_size-width":616,"post_full_size-height":382,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings-split-tree.jpg","home_baner-width":616,"home_baner-height":382}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"1","chapter_main_number":"288","date":"20261006","wall_id":"288"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"834","name":"David","old_id":"1234"},{"term_id":"835","name":"King","old_id":"1235"},{"term_id":"895","name":"Loyalty","old_id":"1295"}]},{"order":10,"id":"113526","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"God\/Father ","post_title":"God\/Father","slug":"god-father","old_id":"113526","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":78133,"post_title":"Josh Blechner","slug":"josh-blechner","old_id":"78133","first_name":"Josh ","last_name":"Blechner ","description":"Josh first finished the Tanach during Yeshiva in Mevaseret Zion. He and his daughter studied the Tanach again for her bat mitzvah. Josh has taught many classes on Tanach throughout the years and currently in the New Rochelle 929 group. When not studying for 929, Josh works as an in-house lawyer in New Jersey.","short_description":"Josh has taught many classes on Tanach throughout the years and currently in the New Rochelle 929 group, and is an in-house attorney in New Jersey. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":78134,"alt":"","title":"josh blechner","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","width":276,"height":351,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-236x300.jpg","medium-width":236,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","medium_large-width":276,"medium_large-height":351,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","large-width":276,"large-height":351,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","1536x1536-width":276,"1536x1536-height":351,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","2048x2048-width":276,"2048x2048-height":351,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","post_full_size-width":276,"post_full_size-height":351,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","home_baner-width":276,"home_baner-height":351}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"289","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"I\u2019m going to give you a legacy you can\u2019t refuse\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

To have the best experience possible reading chapter 2, one needs to play Nino Rota\u2019s famous score for <\/span>The Godfather<\/em> <\/span>in the background. With all the transitions in leadership in Tanach, there are actually only a handful of discussions between a leader and their successor. Moses to Joshua is one, and David to Solomon is another. There is no other king to successor speech recorded in Tanach.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

We can glean certain aspects of David\u2019s character from his instructions to Solomon. David\u2019s message to Solomon comes in two parts. The first is the \u201choly\u201d message. David instructs Solomon to love and follow God, to keep God\u2019s commandments, and to always stay true to God. The second part of David\u2019s message is the more human, political message. This part is the Godfather part where David instructs Solomon to take care of all the people who have harmed or helped David during his reign.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The style of this messaging is the perfect example of David\u2019s life. It encapsulates the two worlds that David lived in, and was known by: the ethereal world of the book of Psalms and the very physical world of death and destruction. The same man who composed one of history\u2019s greatest works of poetry and prayer was also the man who spent most of his life on the run- escaping Saul, Joab, Absalom, Sheba, even Adonijah on his deathbed.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

David\u2019s charge to Solomon also reveals David\u2019s true feelings about these struggles. In his lifetime he let Joab run all over him. On his deathbed he could finally charge someone to get rid of the man that both helped and undermined him his entire reign. When David fled Jerusalem, Shimei cursed him on the way out. Faced with such humiliation, he urged his followers to be calm. But on his deathbed, he lashed out, and revealed what he wanted to do years before. He instructed Solomon to keep his promise, but set a standard that would be impossible for Shimei to uphold. In fact, the story fast forwards and tells us that Shimei ends up being killed for refusing to follow the strict rules.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Solomon takes these instructions one step further. He also takes out Adonijah, his rival brother after Adonijah tricks Bathseba into requesting Avishag as a wife.\u00a0 Solomon also dealt with competing priestly families and completed the curse that God made against the house of Eli the priest, through Samuel. Solomon dismisses Abiathar, Eli\u2019s descendant, from the priesthood, and transfers it to Tzadok.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

With all of David\u2019s loose ends tied up nicely, Solomon can start his reign with a clean slate and in peace.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

image: courtesy of Ben Schachter (detail)<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":113535,"alt":"","title":"-641035ac42adb--641035ac42adcschachter godfather.jpg","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg.jpg","width":867,"height":346,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg-300x120.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":120,"medium_large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg-768x306.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":306,"large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg.jpg","large-width":867,"large-height":346,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg.jpg","1536x1536-width":867,"1536x1536-height":346,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg.jpg","2048x2048-width":867,"2048x2048-height":346,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg.jpg","post_full_size-width":867,"post_full_size-height":346,"home_baner":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg.jpg","home_baner-width":867,"home_baner-height":346}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"God\/Father","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"I\u2019m going to give you a legacy you can\u2019t refuse","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":113535,"alt":"","title":"-641035ac42adb--641035ac42adcschachter godfather.jpg","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg.jpg","width":867,"height":346,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg-300x120.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":120,"medium_large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg-768x306.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":306,"large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg.jpg","large-width":867,"large-height":346,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg.jpg","1536x1536-width":867,"1536x1536-height":346,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg.jpg","2048x2048-width":867,"2048x2048-height":346,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg.jpg","post_full_size-width":867,"post_full_size-height":346,"home_baner":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2023\/03\/641035ac42adb-641035ac42adcschachter-godfather.jpg.jpg","home_baner-width":867,"home_baner-height":346}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"2","chapter_main_number":"289","date":"20261007","wall_id":"289"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"383","name":"Death","old_id":"783"},{"term_id":"834","name":"David","old_id":"1234"},{"term_id":"838","name":"Solomon","old_id":"1238"}]},{"order":11,"id":"61527","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Abishag, Accessory to Power ","post_title":"Abishag, Accessory to Power","slug":"abishag-accessory-to-power","old_id":"61527","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":39842,"post_title":"Avigayil Halpern","slug":"avigayil-halpern","old_id":"39842","first_name":"Avigayil ","last_name":"Halpern ","description":"Avigayil Halpern graduated from Yale in May of 2019 and is beginning study toward rabbinic ordination at the Hadar Institute. Avigayil has written extensively on issues of Jewish observance and gender in the Jewish media, and was an opinion columnist for the Yale Daily News.","short_description":"Avigayil Halpern graduated from Yale in May of 2019 and is beginning study toward rabbinic ordination at the Hadar Institute","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":39843,"alt":"","title":"A. Halpern headshot","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221.jpg","width":1612,"height":1935,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221-250x300.jpg","medium-width":250,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221-768x922.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":922,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221-853x1024.jpg","large-width":853,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221.jpg","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221.jpg","2048x2048-width":1612,"2048x2048-height":1935,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221-1000x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/A.-Halpern-headshot-e1536749058221-350x420.jpg","home_baner-width":350,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"289","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"And Bathsheba? Access to Power","post_main_content_content":"

When we meet Bathsheba at the beginning of I Kings, she appears much more powerful than she has previously been. In Chapter 1, she has negotiated with King David for her son Solomon\u2019s right to rule rather than one of his older brothers. It is this power, one can assume, that draws Adonijah to approach her in Chapter 2.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

After he is not anointed as king, but watches his brother take the throne, Adonijah comes to Bathsheba with a request. \u201c\u201cPlease ask King Solomon\u2014for he won\u2019t refuse you\u2014to give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife,\u201d (2:17), he asks. Bathsheba is willing, and takes up his cause with her son the new king.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Solomon, though, is not as acquescient to the request his mother brings before him as Adonijah expects. Not only does he not grant Adonijah\u2019s wish to marry their father\u2019s former attendant, Solomon treats this entreaty as a threat to his authority: \u201cWhy request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Request the kingship for him!\u201d (2:22). For Adonijah to marry Avishag, in Solomon\u2019s eyes, would be a declaration of his authority. Much like Absalom sleeping with David\u2019s concubines as part of his rebellion, for the king\u2019s son to engage with his father\u2019s woman attendant would be to claim his father\u2019s right to rule.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This is an attitude towards women in which they are commodities, representing and containing male power without being granted agency themselves. Abishag is not given the opportunity to express her own wishes; she is a metaphoric representation of David\u2019s authority.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

It is notable that Bathsheba is willing to be the messenger for Adonijah\u2019s request. She does not refuse him on the grounds of solidarity with Abishag, even though Bathsheba herself was once similarly subject to the king\u2019s absolute power. Even for those of us who have experienced marginalization and the abuse of power, once we are granted access to the halls and thrones of power it is too easy to settle there. We must resist the urge to become comfortable making others disposable in the ways we have been.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61528,"alt":"","title":"1kings2-power","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power.png","width":1280,"height":954,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-300x224.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":224,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-768x572.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":572,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-1024x763.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":763,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power.png","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":954,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power.png","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":954,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-1200x894.png","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":894,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-564x420.png","home_baner-width":564,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Abishag, Accessory to Power","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"And Bathsheba? Access to Power","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":61528,"alt":"","title":"1kings2-power","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power.png","width":1280,"height":954,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-300x224.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":224,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-768x572.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":572,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-1024x763.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":763,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power.png","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":954,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power.png","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":954,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-1200x894.png","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":894,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-power-564x420.png","home_baner-width":564,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"2","chapter_main_number":"289","date":"20261007","wall_id":"289"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"483","name":"Feminism","old_id":"883"},{"term_id":"600","name":"Women","old_id":"1000"},{"term_id":"911","name":"Bathsheba","old_id":"1311"}]},{"order":12,"id":"61514","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"\u201cBe A Man\u201d - But What Does That Mean ","post_title":"\u201cBe A Man\u201d - But What Does That Mean","slug":"be-a-man-but-what-does-that-mean","old_id":"61514","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":56290,"post_title":"Sandra Cohen","slug":"sandra-cohen","old_id":"56290","first_name":"Sandra ","last_name":"Cohen","description":"Rabbi Sandra Cohen teaches, provides pastoral care, and works in mental health outreach. She and her husband live in Denver, Colorado. ","short_description":"Rabbi Sandra Cohen teaches, provides pastoral care, and works in mental health outreach.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":56293,"alt":"","title":"Sandra Cohen","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen.jpg","width":279,"height":303,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen-276x300.jpg","medium-width":276,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen.jpg","medium_large-width":279,"medium_large-height":303,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen.jpg","large-width":279,"large-height":303,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen.jpg","1536x1536-width":279,"1536x1536-height":303,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen.jpg","2048x2048-width":279,"2048x2048-height":303,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen.jpg","post_full_size-width":279,"post_full_size-height":303,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sandra-Cohen.jpg","home_baner-width":279,"home_baner-height":303}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"289","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"What kind of men do we want our sons to become?\u00a0","post_main_content_content":"

\u201cAs King David\u2019s death was drawing near, he tells his son explicitly what men have been telling their sons implicitly for as long as we know: \u201cBe strong and be a man.\u201d Are the two equivalent?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Tanakh is full of blessings from father to son. Isaac blesses Jacob. Jacob blesses his grandsons. David continues in the tradition, blessing his child and charging him to follow in the ways of God, and adhering to the Torah\u2019s commandments.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

But his first words are more basic. \u201cChazak! - Be Strong!! Man up!!\u201d\u00a0 What does this charge mean? What is King David telling us it means to be a man?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Western culture has long understood \u201cbeing a man\u201d to mean being a strong, silent type. Work hard, provide, be tough, no feelings, John Wayne-rugged. The Jewish ideal man is almost the opposite: learned, pale, weak, an intellectual.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

What kind of men do we want our sons to become? Feminists are rightly pointing out that we often teach our daughters how to avoid being raped, rather than teach our sons not to rape, not to view women as objects. As Jews, we want our sons to value our heritage; like King David, we urge them to guard our traditions and relationship with God.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Solomon has a heavy task in front of him: leading the nation in the wake of his powerful and popular father\u2019s death. The succession has not been an easy one, nor will the next steps be clear. David goes further than just urging Solomon to follow God\u2019s path. He tells Solomon that if he, and Solomon\u2019s descendants, are scrupulous in doing God\u2019s will, David\u2019s line will endure forever.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This is both a remarkable promise, and a heavy burden. \u201cDo it right son,\u201d David implores, \u201cand you ensure my legacy forever.\u201d But, he implies, if Solomon messes up, it will not just be his failure; it will destroy the family\u2019s place in history.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This is the burden we place on our sons. \u201cBe strong. Be a man.\u201d There is no room for failure.\u00a0 There is no room to be hesitant, unsure. Do not appear weak; that is the way of women. Vulnerability will destroy you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In many ways Solomon follows this advice. He builds the Temple and a huge palace for himself. He has 600 wives, horses galore, riches beyond imagination. He is strong, he is mighty, he is a man.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

But one of the stories we most remember Solomon for shows his other side. Two women come before him, arguing over whose baby is alive. King Solomon understands, intuitively, that the real mother would do anything \u2014 even give up her baby \u2014 so as not to hurt the small infant. He shows he knows what love is, how a parent feels for her child.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This, too, is being a man. Teaching our daughters and SONS to love, to be vulnerable, to respect one another, and as well as being capable, smart, and learned in God\u2019s laws.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61515,"alt":"","title":"1kings2-father son","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son.png","width":640,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-150x300.png","medium-width":150,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-512x1024.png","medium_large-width":512,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-512x1024.png","large-width":512,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son.png","1536x1536-width":640,"1536x1536-height":1280,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son.png","2048x2048-width":640,"2048x2048-height":1280,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-600x1200.png","post_full_size-width":600,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-210x420.png","home_baner-width":210,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"\u201cBe A Man\u201d - But What Does That Mean","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"What kind of men do we want our sons to become?\u00a0","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":61515,"alt":"","title":"1kings2-father son","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son.png","width":640,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-150x300.png","medium-width":150,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-512x1024.png","medium_large-width":512,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-512x1024.png","large-width":512,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son.png","1536x1536-width":640,"1536x1536-height":1280,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son.png","2048x2048-width":640,"2048x2048-height":1280,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-600x1200.png","post_full_size-width":600,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings2-father-son-210x420.png","home_baner-width":210,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"2","chapter_main_number":"289","date":"20261007","wall_id":"289"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"503","name":"Power","old_id":"903"},{"term_id":"614","name":"Daughters","old_id":"1014"},{"term_id":"918","name":"Sons","old_id":"1318"}]},{"order":13,"id":"61554","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Grappling with SIDS ","post_title":"Grappling with SIDS","slug":"grappling-with-sids","old_id":"61554","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":61348,"post_title":"Adam Schogger","slug":"adam-schogger","old_id":"61348","first_name":"Adam ","last_name":"Schogger","description":"Adam Schogger is a family doctor from Manchester, England ","short_description":"Adam Schogger is a family doctor from Manchester, England ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":61354,"alt":"","title":"adam schogger","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/adam-schogger.jpg","width":542,"height":720,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/adam-schogger-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/adam-schogger-226x300.jpg","medium-width":226,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/adam-schogger.jpg","medium_large-width":542,"medium_large-height":720,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/adam-schogger.jpg","large-width":542,"large-height":720,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/adam-schogger.jpg","1536x1536-width":542,"1536x1536-height":720,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/adam-schogger.jpg","2048x2048-width":542,"2048x2048-height":720,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/adam-schogger.jpg","post_full_size-width":542,"post_full_size-height":720,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/adam-schogger-316x420.jpg","home_baner-width":316,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"290","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"The suffering of the mother who lost her child","post_main_content_content":"

Later two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him (verse 16)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

So reads the introduction to one of the most famous passages in the Tanach; Mishpat Shlomo \u2013 the judgement of Solomon. Why is it necessary to know that the two women were harlots? Perhaps this is to show that the king was willing to listen to all, from the aristocracy to the margins of society and judge fairly.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I would like to focus on the bereaved mother. Of the two women the first is deemed by the commentators to be the mother of the living child. She gives an introduction, the narrative and her shock in finding a dead child at her breast in the morning who probably died a \u2018cot death\u2019 or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. We then read: \u201cNo, the live one is my son, and the dead one is yours!\u201d (verse 22).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

That\u2019s all she says. \u201cNo, he\u2019s mine.\u201d For me this speaks volumes. Her bereavement has stunned her into silence. She is unable to say more than a few words. She is barely able to articulate a story, express her feelings nor make a credible defense. It is almost possible to touch her anguish and guilt.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Evidently Solomon could do so. Before him we have a harlot, a woman who has broken several of the Ten Commandments (\u2018You shall not steal\u2019 refers to kidnap, \u2018don\u2019t bear false witness\u2019 and \u2018don\u2019t covet your neighbour\u2019s\u2026..) and all this in in the court of the king.\u00a0 Anybody who has followed the last couple of books of the bible on 929 would have seen that the kings of the day were not exactly averse to the death penalty. But what happens? Solomon returns the child to his mother and the other is never mentioned again. Presumably she leaves dejected and broken and tries to resume her life.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I hope she had another child.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

My son, my son David.\u00a0 David, my son.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In loving memory of my son David Binyamin who died aged four months.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61555,"alt":"","title":"1kings3-sids","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","width":186,"height":278,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","medium-width":186,"medium-height":278,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","medium_large-width":186,"medium_large-height":278,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","large-width":186,"large-height":278,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","1536x1536-width":186,"1536x1536-height":278,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","2048x2048-width":186,"2048x2048-height":278,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","post_full_size-width":186,"post_full_size-height":278,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","home_baner-width":186,"home_baner-height":278}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Grappling with SIDS","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"The suffering of the mother who lost her child","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":61555,"alt":"","title":"1kings3-sids","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","width":186,"height":278,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","medium-width":186,"medium-height":278,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","medium_large-width":186,"medium_large-height":278,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","large-width":186,"large-height":278,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","1536x1536-width":186,"1536x1536-height":278,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","2048x2048-width":186,"2048x2048-height":278,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","post_full_size-width":186,"post_full_size-height":278,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-sids.png","home_baner-width":186,"home_baner-height":278}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"3","chapter_main_number":"290","date":"20261008","wall_id":"290"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"383","name":"Death","old_id":"783"},{"term_id":"431","name":"Personal\/memoir","old_id":"831"},{"term_id":"487","name":"Health","old_id":"887"}]},{"order":14,"id":"61587","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"The Transparency of Solomon ","post_title":"The Transparency Of Solomon","slug":"the-transparency-of-solomon","old_id":"61587","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34250,"post_title":"Sarah Rudolph","slug":"sarah-rudolph","old_id":"34250","first_name":"Sarah ","last_name":"Rudolph","description":"Sarah Rudolph is a freelance Jewish educator, writer, and editor. She has been sharing her passion for Jewish texts of all kinds for over 15 years, with students of all ages. Sarah\u2019s essays have been published in a variety of internet and print media, including Times of Israel, Kveller, Jewish Action, OU Life, The Lehrhaus, TorahMusings, and more. Sarah lives in Cleveland with her husband and four children, but is privileged to learn online with students all over the world through www.TorahTutors.org and www.WebYeshiva.org. \r\n\r\n","short_description":"Sarah Rudolph is a freelance Jewish educator, writer, and editor.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34251,"alt":"","title":"Sarah R","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R.jpg","width":2824,"height":4246,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-200x300.jpg","medium-width":200,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-681x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":681,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-681x1024.jpg","large-width":681,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R.jpg","1536x1536-width":1022,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R.jpg","2048x2048-width":1362,"2048x2048-height":2048,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-798x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":798,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Sarah-R-279x420.jpg","home_baner-width":279,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"290","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Not private knowledge but public wisdom for all to see and trust\u00a0","post_main_content_content":"

Immediately after Solomon is granted wisdom from God, a court case materializes that famously demonstrates that wisdom: Two roommates show up, arguing over whose baby is dead and whose baby is alive. Solomon\u2019s solution? Split the living baby, so each woman gets half! The sword is ready, one woman is amenable \u2013 but the other declares she\u2019d rather the baby live, even if the other woman gets him, and Solomon declares her the true mother.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

On one hand, the juxtaposition between Solomon\u2019s request for wisdom and the case that demonstrates it is so striking that Malbim suggests God orchestrated the case to make clear \u201cthat God had fulfilled his request.\u201d Malbim\u2019s wording implies the goal was to convince Solomon himself \u2013 and as it happens, by the end of the story, when \u201call Israel heard,\u201d they too were convinced: \u201cthey saw that he possessed divine wisdom to execute justice (v. 28).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

On the other hand, Malbim wonders at the beginning of the section \u2013 as perhaps many of us have \u2013 \u201cWhat was the great wisdom in this judgment? It was already obvious that the [true] mother would have mercy!\u201d It seems similarly obvious that the king wouldn\u2019t really have split \u2013 i.e. killed \u2013 the child, and so Malbim also asks: \u201cWhat would he have done if the second woman had\u2026 understood his deceit, and also asked to keep the child alive?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In answer, Malbim suggests (as do others) that Solomon\u2019s \u201cruling\u201d wasn\u2019t actually a way to determine the truth; he knew that all along, because the women themselves gave it away. One woman insists \u201cthe live one is my son, and the dead one is yours!\u201d \u2013 prioritizing her own, living child \u2013 while the other proclaims in the opposite order, \u201cNo, the dead boy is yours; mine is the live one!\u201d (v. 22). Solomon deduces from their different emphases that one cares for her living child, while the other is only interested in making sure her opponent is <\/span>not<\/b> left with a living child. And he is confident that, fixated as she is on that goal, she won\u2019t see through his rather obvious strategy but will latch onto it eagerly \u2013 as she does.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

If Solomon was so sure, however, why bother with the drama? Why not simply declare which was the true mother as soon as he realized?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Perhaps the answer lies in that final verse of the story: \u201cAll Israel\u2026 saw that he possessed divine wisdom to execute justice.\u201d While some read that to mean they were confident Solomon would seek the truth, Metzudat David goes a step further: \u201cTo execute justice \u2013 to understand the truth\u2026 <\/span>and<\/b> to clarify it through a trial.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

It is not enough for a king or judge to simply be certain in his own mind and rule accordingly. What Solomon offered in this first exhibition of his newly enhanced wisdom was transparency: he didn\u2019t simply determine the truth behind the closed doors of his divinely-enhanced mind, but created an opportunity for the world to see, learn, and trust.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Image: Image: Nicolas Poussin: The Judgment of Solomon, c. 1649 \/ wikimedia<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61588,"alt":"","title":"1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon.jpg","width":800,"height":531,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon-300x199.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":199,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon-768x510.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":510,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon.jpg","large-width":800,"large-height":531,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon.jpg","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":531,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon.jpg","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":531,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":531,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon-633x420.jpg","home_baner-width":633,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"The Transparency Of Solomon","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Not private knowledge but public wisdom for all to see and trust\u00a0","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":61588,"alt":"","title":"1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon.jpg","width":800,"height":531,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon-300x199.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":199,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon-768x510.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":510,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon.jpg","large-width":800,"large-height":531,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon.jpg","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":531,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon.jpg","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":531,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":531,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-Nicolas_Poussin_-_The_Judgment_of_Solomon-633x420.jpg","home_baner-width":633,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"3","chapter_main_number":"290","date":"20261008","wall_id":"290"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"372","name":"Wisdom","old_id":"772"},{"term_id":"499","name":"Trial","old_id":"899"},{"term_id":"838","name":"Solomon","old_id":"1238"}]},{"order":15,"id":"61583","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Child Welfare And The World\u2019s First Custody Battle ","post_title":"Child Welfare And The World\u2019s First Custody Battle","slug":"child-welfare-and-the-worlds-first-custody-battle","old_id":"61583","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":61700,"post_title":"Annabel Herzog and Jeremy Benstein","slug":"annabel-herzog-and-jeremy-benstein","old_id":"61700","first_name":"Annabel Herzog","last_name":"and Jeremy Benstein","description":"Annabel Herzog is a professor of political philosophy at the School of Political Science at the University of Haifa. \r\nJeremy Benstein is the editor of 929 English. They live together in Zichron Yaakov with 5 children, 2 cats, and many books\r\n","short_description":"Annabel Herzog is a professor of political philosophy at the University of Haifa. Jeremy Benstein is the editor of 929 English. \r\n","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":61701,"alt":"","title":"ah and jb","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/ah-and-jb.jpg","width":950,"height":637,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/ah-and-jb-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/ah-and-jb-300x201.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":201,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/ah-and-jb-768x515.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":515,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/ah-and-jb.jpg","large-width":950,"large-height":637,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/ah-and-jb.jpg","1536x1536-width":950,"1536x1536-height":637,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/ah-and-jb.jpg","2048x2048-width":950,"2048x2048-height":637,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/ah-and-jb.jpg","post_full_size-width":950,"post_full_size-height":637,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/ah-and-jb-626x420.jpg","home_baner-width":626,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"290","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"And it\u2019s between two women\u00a0","post_main_content_content":"

Many read the story of Solomon\u2019s judgment regarding the two women and their single surviving baby as one of Solomon\u2019s divine, almost miraculous, wisdom, and his uncanny ability to get at the absolute truth. The wise king uses a clever ruse to divine the secret and reveal to the crowd and to all Israel: who is the <\/span>real <\/span><\/i>mother (and in so doing, reveal as well, who is the wise king).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

But that would be misreading both the Tanakh, and the nature of the institution of the law.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

What Solomon did was not adjudicate the truth, or mete out absolute justice, by discovering the hidden identity of the true mother. Rather, he ruled in a custody battle and used an emotional test to try and decide which of the mothers was <\/span>more worthy <\/span><\/i>of being awarded the baby. The one who put the baby\u2019s welfare over her own, or at least over her own sense of right, the baby <\/span>deserved <\/span><\/i>her as a mother. And so therefore - that woman ipso facto becomes the mother.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The text tells us in verse 26 that the woman who \u201cwas overcome with compassion\u201d was indeed the real mother. But Solomon does not know that, and neither does anyone else. There is absolutely no corroborating evidence brought to prove one woman\u2019s case or the other. The test is brought in absence of proof, as a substitute for it.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

What the test does is determine a standard of motherhood, and then adjudicate according to it. Note that we have no idea if it is the plaintiff, the one who brought the case, claiming her (live) baby had been kidnapped, or the defendant, the one who claims that she did no wrong, is the real mother. The story is interested in neither truth nor justice - just in what constitutes worthy motherhood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The woman who loses the case is not punished. We don\u2019t know which one she is - plaintiff or defendant - but it seems that someone who tries to pawn off another\u2019s baby as her own, knowingly perjuring herself in the process, in a court of law, in front of the king no less, would receive some sort of punishment for her serious crimes. But no - she simply loses the custody battle and goes her way. She too is a mother, a grieving one, and truth and justice are not relevant here: the deciding factor is mercy and compassion for the maternal pain she has experienced.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

So what we have here is neither divine oracle or miraculous wisdom, but the bio-power of the king to use high office to make decisions about desserts, motherhood and custody of a baby whose welfare will be cared for.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Image: Peter Paul Rubens, The Judgement of Solomon, c. 1617 \/ wikimedia<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":61584,"alt":"","title":"1kings3-judgement - Rubens","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens.jpg","width":800,"height":638,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens-300x239.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":239,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens-768x612.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":612,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens.jpg","large-width":800,"large-height":638,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens.jpg","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":638,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens.jpg","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":638,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":638,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens-527x420.jpg","home_baner-width":527,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Child Welfare And The World\u2019s First Custody Battle","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"And it\u2019s between two women\u00a0","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":61584,"alt":"","title":"1kings3-judgement - Rubens","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens.jpg","width":800,"height":638,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens-300x239.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":239,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens-768x612.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":612,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens.jpg","large-width":800,"large-height":638,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens.jpg","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":638,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens.jpg","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":638,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":638,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/1kings3-judgement-Rubens-527x420.jpg","home_baner-width":527,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Prophets","book":"I Kings","chapter":"3","chapter_main_number":"290","date":"20261008","wall_id":"290"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"391","name":"In\/Justice","old_id":"791"},{"term_id":"428","name":"Parent","old_id":"828"},{"term_id":"529","name":"Children","old_id":"929"},{"term_id":"646","name":"Court","old_id":"1046"}]}],"hide_acf":true,"home_image":false,"home_posts":false,"home_posts_title":"","posts_home":[],"static_cube_title":"","static_cube_brief":"","static_cube_color":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wall\/61320"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wall"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wall"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}